Published in:
01-08-2018 | Letter to the Editors
Can epilepsy be treated by antibiotics?
Authors:
Hilde M. H. Braakman, Jakko van Ingen
Published in:
Journal of Neurology
|
Issue 8/2018
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Abstract
There is mounting evidence for the role of the gut microbiota and gut–brain interactions in neurological diseases. We present six patients with drug-resistant epilepsy who attained temporary seizure freedom during antibiotic treatment. The effect on seizure frequency waned within 2 weeks after cessation of antibiotic treatment. We hypothesized that antibiotic treatments may have a short-term effect, through gut microbiota disruption, on gut–brain interactions and ultimately seizure frequency. This observed impact of antibiotics on seizure frequency hints at a possible role of the gut microbiota in epilepsy and its manifestations. This begs the question: can epilepsy be treated by antibiotics? Or perhaps in a broader sense: can alterations in the gut microbiota be used as a treatment modality in drug-resistant epilepsy? This concept and the six intriguing cases provide interesting leads for epilepsy management.